Let Your Inner Light Shine

February 15, 2011

.: Noticing my oldest son playing marbles while a very interested kitten looks on :.

As mothers we do not receive a standard handbook that tells us exactly what to do or not do. Rather we live alongside our little ones while our homes and our family organically becomes a reflection of who we are together.

.: A moment later the kitten strikes and marbles roll over the wooden floor :.

There may be moments in our younger years that stand out to us. They may even serve as markers in our own lives with our own children today.

.: Noticing beauty in the ordinary, extraordinary part of the day :.

I can remember specific feelings of the warmth of home as a younger girl while babysitting-- a home filled with little treasures from nature and the harvest of the gardens sitting on the counters still flecked with soil. It had that beautiful mix of a lived in home - evidence of children and of life that reflected so much love.

As a younger girl playing house for the day while acting as a mothers helper I remember dreaming of having children of my own as I grew older and what that would be like.

.: Appreciating my son's ear for music as he freely plays what comes to mind :.

I feel so grateful for the family that I now have and that we are able to live and learn at home alongside one another creating our very own life, following and creating our very own dreams, we get to choose just what our philosophy for our own life may entail.

.:Noticing a beautiful vignette while the music still lingers in my heart:.

This journey together as a family is rich and good, it is lived in and full with life. There is beauty in the everyday - the small and big moments, the creative and organic vignettes that fill our days in both the good and the more difficult.

.: These sweet friends eat our veggies, create their own compost, create fiber for us to spin and most of all share their love :.

Clotheslines, composting, and backyard chickens. Learning alongside one another at home and growing some of our own foods. Trading in television for making art together, caring for one another, dreaming of having sheep and farm living, knitting and spinning and reading "Little House On The Prairie" at bedtime while creating our own little houses on the prairie or apartments in the city or little houses on islands in fields or in the woods... wherever it is that your life inspires you to call home fill it up with love, mindfullness, and notice the life that surrounds you.

.: Noticing a sweet vignette left behind after opening presents on Valentines Day :.

We only live these days, moments and life once, just once never to be repeated in exactly the same way.

I am thankful to share moments of our family life with you. I also enjoy seeing moments of your own journeys. However vastly different or very closely knit our ideas may be lets all follow our dreams together. Say yes to life--to the life we always dreamed of for our families even when things may be placed in the way.. go for it anyway.

.:Appreciating bits of nature that creates this personal space we call home:.

Embrace this thing called life that sometimes gets in the way but continues to happen to us every day. From the small and mundane to the great and profound lets say yes and embrace life for all that it gifts to us!

February 01, 2011

While my thoughts drift to the green of spring the snow drifts continue to rise...

When the snow finallyebbed into a gentle flurry, I told my husband I was planning to set off into the woods with my camera to capture the energy of the end of the storm. My daughter said: "Wait for me mama!" She alwayshas her camera at the ready and creates her own beautiful places that she captures in her mind as well as on her camera.

This time spent capturing moments with my daughter was a memorable one. I watched her as she took her time along the trail in the woods finding beautiful spots on her own. Soon my own photos reflected her journey of enjoyment, entering into the peace of the woods and the mindfulness that nature brings.

This little one has such creativity swirling within her mind and heart. She has more talent and beauty in her mind's eye than I could ever imagine. I am thankful to be on this journey alongside each of the children, watching them find meaning in their lives through their interests and mediums of choice.

I am thankful for this time with my daughter doing something we both love--walking together in the snowy woods finding beauty while bonding with one another.

This time for me in the woods turned from a time of appreciating nature to a time spent appreciating the beauty ofa child appreciating nature.

I am thankful for these quiet, unexpected, andunplanned moments. They arecherished moments in time that will never be repeated in exactly the same way but will last a lifetime in my heart.

Children in our lives are remarkable creatures of light. I am thankful to be let into their world and to share these moments of seeing the world through their eyes, while watching them grow and learn.

I look forward to many more moments with each of the children--finding beauty in life together in quiet unexpected times that are truly magical.

January 23, 2011

You may notice that the winter months bring about quite a bit of crafting for my family. We try to enjoy creating each and every day. Many of you know of my affinity for stones! Like some of you I have quite a collection of stones collected from the ocean this past summer...

I am usually one who will use materials found near-at-hand or materials that can be recycled. Today we mixed things we had on hand and something that caught my eye at the craft store!

.: Choosing our stones for the project! :.

We gathered up a few stones from the collection and placed them in a bowl. These stones were chosen for their smoothness and size so that the images we transferred onto them would fit proportionately.

.: The sheet of transferable images :.

I purchased this sheet of transfers from the craft store. Some of the images appealed to me as I imagined them transferred onto the stones.

.: By rubbing over the image it transfers onto the object :.

I started with a few and soon all three children were gathered around to choose their own images and transfer them onto the stones! The simple process entails placing the transfer onto the stone and with the stick provided you rub over the image and it transfers itself.

.: Butterflies hold significant meaning for me, this one is beautiful! :.

.: I appreciate this little bird sitting atop a stone! :.

The butterfly and bird stone are two of my favorites--they make me happy and now live in my kitchen!

.: A sweet pairing of stones :.

The bird and bird cage made for a fun pair! I think these stones would make beautiful Valentine gifts for friends, or as party favors!

.: These stones are now placed in unexpected spots around the house! :.

I appreciate discovering them in unexpected places around the house. It makes me smile to see their simple beauty paired with nature!

.: Admiring their work! :.

.: My favorite stone which holds symbolic meaning for me :.

Ginny, who writes the blog Sweet Myrtle wrote a lovely post that I enjoyed reading today. She spoke of choosing a word to focus on in this new year. Ginny wrote a long list of words that bring inspiration to her before choosing one word to focus on.

This resonated with me because over this past year my family adopted the mantra: "Be here now." Many times I have pondered this mantra and it rang true for me in times when I needed it.

.: A warming word bringing peace to my heart :.

I know firsthand that writing a positive or inspirational word on a stone is powerful. Wouldn't this be a great project to create a few stones with life-affirming words on them andplace around your home to bring more encouragement, joy,and mindfulness into your day?